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Thursday, October 29, 2009

The Canadian Blood Services distribution centre moving to Dartmouth is causing concern for a local haematologist.Dr. Terrence Comeau says the move will have detrimental results as platelets do not have a long enough shelf life to be moved from province to province.He says by having the centre in Nova Scotia it is going to cause a lot of rework.He says once the platelets arrive in a different lab they will have to be re-evaluated, and the more time that goes by the less effective they become.Platelets are particles circulating through the body which acts as a plug when a person is bleeding.

[Dr. James Flick-----photo by Dave Briggs]The Director of Haematology at the Regional Hospital says there is no indication of how much moving the CBS blood distribution centre to Nova Scotia is going to cost.Dr. James Flick says there has been no information released on how much the province is going to be be paying for the service.Dr. Flick says if the information is released then it will be known if we need more refridgerators, more trucks, and who is going to be transporting the products.He says so far there has been no medical or cost justification related to the move.

Opposition Leader thinks the proposed sale of NB Power to Hydro-Quebec is outrageous.

David Alward says Shawn Graham might be for sale but this province and NB Power is not.Alward says they didn't expect the Premier to hand over control of our public utility to another province. He says the Premier is selling our soul.The Conservative Leader says despite what the government spin machine would have you believe, it’s not a $10 billion deal, it’s a $4.7 billion deal and it’s just plain bad.

Five schools in the St. George area will be closed from tomorrow until Tuesday because of high numbers of absenteeism.The absenteeism is impacting the availability of bus drivers and staff to supervise students.The impacted schools are Fundy High, St. George Elementary, Back Bay, Black's Harbour and Pennfield Elementary. Black's Harbour and Pennfield Elementary schools will be open on Monday and Back Bay will open Tuesday for a regular school day and planned vaccination clinics.There have been several calls to our 648-3000 Newsline saying people in Saint John area schools are sick as well.

The stores are still open but you will need cash if your going to the Lancaster mall to do some shopping. Mall manager Patti Teed tells CHSJ News, a traffic accident sheered a telephone pole and that has left them with-out internet or debit service.

Teed says it could take a few days to rectify.

A spokes-person for Bell-Aliant tells us a fibre optic line has been cut on Catherwoood Street and 2500 of it's customers are with-out a phone or internet service. It was cut during construction work.

Believing this will make the entire forest industry more competitive, J.D. Irving is giving thumbs up to the proposal between NB Power and Hydro-Quebec. Vice-President of the pulp and paper group Mark Mosher tells CHSJ News, the company is confident the future bolds well with this new set-up and is not afraid of someone else running an assett in the Province.

Mosher says from what he has read in the proposal, residents will get more benefit than industry out of this proposal to the tune of 60% over the length of the agreement.

The President of Saint John Energy was at today's news conference concerning NB Power. Eric Marr tells CHSJ News, the entirety of the announcement came as a shock:

Marr says they never expected something so dramatic as a complete sale but, at first blush he says it looks like a pretty good deal for New Brunswick ratepayers.

Marr adds the devil is in the details and a lot of specific ones at this point are missing and will meet Provincial Officials in the coming weeks to find out what Saint John Energy's future role under this proposal is.

What role will the Energy and Utilities Board have if and when the sale of NB Power is approved to Hydro-Quebec? Spokesperson Dave Young tells CHSJ News, there is still a lot of information to go over.Young says it is clear from the Memorandum of Understanding that the board will continue to have an important role to play in the regulation of the electricity sector in the province.Young is quick to point the role of the E.U.B. is likely to change but as the legislation gets drafted, things will become clearer.

The New Brunswick Business Council is congratulating the Graham Graham on it's proposal. The N.B.B.C. goes on to say the promise of lower rates and access to abundant green power will help protect jobs and encourage growth and outside investment not only in our manufacturing sector, but also in new emerging sectors.The Business Council says it is pleased with the proposed rate freezes for commercial and residential users, and the rate reductions for industrial users. Council members are also interested in learning more about how rates will be established and regulated after the initial five-year term.

Is this proposal political suicide for Premier Graham? That is the question posed to Political Scientist at UNB Saint John Don Desserud who tells CHSJ News, this is shocking move because it will be difficult to sell the proposal to voters.As for whether or not this opens the door for the Conservatives to make a clean break for re-election to the seat of power, Desserud says no adding they can't sit back and rest but must continue to question this and other moves.

Hydro-Quebec would get the majority of NB Power's assets under a proposed agreement worth nearly $5 billion signed today by Premier Shawn Graham and Quebec Premier Jean Charest. According to the memorandum of understanding, Hydro-Quebec would buy the assets for $4.75 billion _ an amount equivalent to NB Power's debt _ giving Quebec greater capacity to export power to the United States.

Those assets include transmission lines, offices and most generation facilities including the Point Lepreau nuclear power plant. Graham says there will be opportunity for public debate before the closing date of the deal at the end of March 2010.

Helen and Kenneth Griffin remain the owners of 10 Scott Avenue. The property is one of several owned by the Griffin's that was supposed to go up for bids at a public auction earlier this week. How-ever the tax bill owing on the property has been payed and remains in the hands of the Griffins. Kenneth tells CHSJ News, he would like to continue owning a property in Rothesay.

Griffin adds the future of his current tenants would take major consideration in any proposed deal to sell the property but is quick to point out......everything is for sale.

A test drive turned out to be a thief in disguise for the owner of a store in Four Corners yesterday. A man walked into the shop just after noon and took a yellow ATV for a drive but never came back. Nine hours later, Sussex RCMP were called to a complaint of an ATV driving dangerously. The person who called to complain saw the bike go into the drivewayb of a home on Route 121.

Officers knocked on the door and found a red ATV behind the home. The home-owner said he didn't know where the bike came from but officers then noticed the bike had just been freshly painted and was still wet. The owner of the store where a bike was stolen from earlier in the day identified the machine but no word on any charges.

UNB Saint John has teamed up with the Certified Management Accountants of New Brunswick to create the first combined Masters of Business Administration and Certified Management Accountants Program in the province. The combined program gives graduates a distinctive edge and will allow them to obtain two credentials quicker and cheaper than if the programs were taken separately.
According to recent member surveys, the average annual salary for a CMA in the province is 95 thousand dollars with three-quarters holding mid-senior management positions.

A documentary exploring the effects of Global Warming in a small community in the Canadian north will be screened at the Imperial Theatre tonight. Saint Johner Greg Hemmings produced the film Melting Lands and a small version of it called Papikatuk. Hemmings tells CHSJ news the films explore climate change and cultural transformation for the Innuit.

The films have been screened all across Europe and will also be featured at this year's Silver Wave Film Festival in Fredericton next month. Tonight's screen at the Imperial begins at 7pm and donations will be accepted for Romero House.

City police are investigating an armed robbery. This time the Olsen's store on Lancaster Avenue was the target. Police tell CHSJ news a man with a weapon entered the back of the store wearing a mask and dark clothing around 8:50 last night. The store was still open and filled with customers at the time, but an officer says the robber went into the back office to steal money and customers were unaware of what was happening.

The loonie is up but so too is the price of gas this morning. The Energy and Utilities Board has released its weekly price schedule and regular self-serve gasoline is now up over the dollar mark to a maximum price of 101.5. That's up from 97.6 cents a litre yesterday.

Diesel fuel also costs more today at 103.7, while furnace oil has climbed two-and-a-half cents to 85.3 and propane is now at 89.9 cents per litre.

More than half of the tickets in the Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation's Hospital Home Lottery have been sold. If all tickets are sold by the Early Bird deadline of November 19th then all 1,250 prizes will be drawn early-- including the draw for the Grand Prize Showhome in Drury Cove.

The Home Lottery is expected to raise more than 700 thousand dollars for the Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation, New Brunswick Heart Centre and Mindcare.

A Saint John community activist has been elected to represent this province's interests with Bayview Credit Union in Atlantic Canada. Kurt Peacock got the post as New Brunswick Board Representative to the Interim Atlantic Central in an election held last weekend in Moncton.

Peacock was formerly with Vibrant Communities and has intervened on behalf of small consumers at Energy and Utility board hearings on proposed NB Power rates increases.